Enter brother. Enter new phone.
And so now... I present to you, ENTRY 3, of Carbonara Diaries! :)
On the evening of the 24th of December 2011, my older brother and I found ourselves roaming the now-empty streets of London. People were flocking back home for the X'mas celebrations, and festivity was in the air! We were making our way back to my humble abode as well, eager to have a simple celebration to welcome in the 25th. The only problem was: We hadn't eaten our dinner yet.
That was when we spotted Balfour. Located at the cross-junction of Marchmont Street and Tavistock Place (off Cartwright Gardens, or the Brunswick at Russell Square), this Italian restaurant had always caught my attention with its brightly lit exterior and (more often that not) busy and crowded interior, but I could never find the time to drop by. Except this time. It felt right!
And so we stepped into Balfour (which was pretty empty, not surprisingly), took a lovely window seat and sat down to order from the giant sized menu. No prizes for guessing what I ordered. My brother ordered the ravioli, eager to find one that could best the dish he had in his adventures in Dubai a week earlier. In the spirit of celebration, and of the fact that Balfour proclaims it is an authentic Italian restaurant, we decided to each order a glass of Italian white wine. I can't remember what the name of it was, but it's located at the top of the wine list, written down as a spirit of Italy.
We were given bread for starters, with good ol' fashion olive oil and vinegar. The bread was a little too hard for my liking, though I must say the vinegar had a very refreshing taste to it. Service was fast and crisp, and we got our food under 10 minutes.
At first impression, the food looked cool and easy to eat. Oh how wrong I was. My Carbonara was astonishingly hot and steamy! The dish looked well coated and definitely creamy, something that I feel is of great importance to a good plate of Carbonara. Can't be having Carbonara soup now can we? The taste of cream in the sauce was pretty intense, and I can imagine it being a put off to those who do not enjoy their dairy. The dish was loaded with bacon meat, something that I always appreciate.
Unfortunately, my brother's dish of ravioli failed to impress him, and on hindsight, myself as well. The taste just wasn't there, and it was quite a big let down, given as to how he agreed that the Carbonara tasted pretty good and authentic.
Interestingly, the table beside us (a family of 3) did not order a single plate of pasta, and instead had ordered their fish and chips and steak, which looked pretty adequate as far as I could tell. Something to try in the future perhaps?
And here we go! The summary!
Name: Balfour Italian Restaurant
Opening Hours: Seems to be open everyday till late, starting from lunch all the way to dinner. I should start to take note of this more seriously :P
Address: (Again, my inadequacy towards such details!) I don't really know the exact address. The closest landmark is probably The Brunswick. You can find this restaurant along Tavistock Place, at the junction of Sandwich Street. Look at the map for reference! The closest tube station is King's Cross St. Pancras, and is a short 5 minute walk away!
Notable landmarks nearby:
University of London Garden Halls (located on Cartwright Gardens)
The Brunswick (@ Russell Square Station)
Carbonara Test:
Beauty: 4/5
I thought the presentation was particularly gorgeous. (For lack of my technical cuisine knowledge) The pasta came in a nice dish that accentuated it's look for some reason. It didn't look like it came fresh from the pot, yet it was steaming and piping hot. The cream coated the noodles very evenly as well, by far the most tantalising plate of pasta I have seen thus far.
Taste: 3/5 (subject to change when I review more in the future!)
As much as I enjoyed this plate of Carbonara, I must say the taste of cream was too overwhelming after a certain point. I found it a little difficult to polish off the full plate, as my remaining noodles were floating and cream and oil, probably an indication that too much of both were used? Sadly, the noodles were a little too soft, definitely not Al Dente.
Service & Atmosphere: 4/5 (Taken into context of the type and location of the eatery)
Everything was done in a fast and timely manner. From seating, to taking our orders, serving and then paying of the bill. Really, nothing much I can say other than that the service charge was justified. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere to it as well, which really enhances the eating experience of course. All in all, good service.
Budget: 2/5 (the lower the score, the more hard hitting it is on your budget!)
Given that it IS a restaurant after all, and after removing the price of the wine, my meal came up to around 14 pounds. Certainly not a luxury I can enjoy on a daily basis. Well, at least for the price, the Carbonara was pretty decent.
Overall: 13/20
Will I make a return trip? Probably.
Will I recommend it to friends? Maybe, if they are feeling rich.
I can't say much about the other dishes this restaurant has to offer, but as far as this experience goes, I think their pastas might be a case of hit & misses, maybe because of they prepare it "authentically"? Not my favourite Carbonara, but one I wouldn't mind eating again.
Until next time!
Oh.. And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you readers as well! Keep spinning them forks people! (in pasta of course)
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